Nurse shortages leading to falls, brain bleeds and life-threatening NHS delays

Nurse shortages leading to falls, brain bleeds and life-threatening NHS delays Royal College of Nursing has found that the NHS in England is short of 55,000 nurses - twice the number previously thought - as a report reveals shocking consequences An unprecedented nurse staffing crisis is leading to hundreds of patient safety incidents across the NHS. New analysis suggests there is a shortfall of 55,000 registered nurses in the NHS in England despite the current number of advertised vacancies being 23,046. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has compiled a report of the consequences of lack of staff with hundreds of incidents including falls and fractures, brain bleeds and delays administering life-saving medications. It says sick patients are "waiting hours" for pain relief while others are "deteriorating needlessly". Its report estimates that if nurse numbers had increased in line with rising hospital activity since 2009, such as appointments and admissions, there should be 55,000 more in England. If nurse numbers had grown at the same rate as doctors, there would be 77,000 more today, which the RCN said is the highest it has been. Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN General Secretary, said: "This report is more undeniable evidence of the clear link between registered nurse staffing levels and patient harm. It's utterly shocking that sick patients should wait hours for pain relief or vital medication, while some are falling, breaking bones and deteriorating needlessly. "The numbers are clear: we would have tens of thousands more nurses working in our NHS if we’d had the necessary investment to keep up with demand. Instead, our numbers have been held down, in contrast to other staff.” NHS Trusts are encouraged by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to report staffing-related quality and safety risks - called "nursing red flags". These safety-critical incidents can include medication errors, delayed pain relief, missed patient checks and fewer than two registered nurses on shift. One nurse said: “On my unit, an elderly patient fell out of bed and suffered a brain bleed. Night staff were short and there was no one outside the bay to witness the fall and help for at least ten minutes. Everyone was so worried about the brain injury that it took seven days to realise she actually had a broken hip as well. There just weren’t enough staff to cover every area. “Patients are staying in hospital for far longer because the quality of care they receive is worse. Nurses barely even have time to talk to our patients. We’re so busy, you can only deal with the immediate task in front of you. That means you can’t do any prevention work and they are less prepared for going back into the community and more likely to be re-admitted.” Some 573 nurse red flag incidents were recorded in a single month at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Harlow reported 159 in June while University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust reported 100. University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust reported 19 red flags and 126 "staffing-related incident reports" in July including five moderate or severe medication errors. A charge nurse in an acute medical unit in the West Midlands said: "A shift that has enough staff is considered 'green' and we haven't had one in over six months. You just cannot give quality care if you're looking after ten acutely sick patients each.” An RCN rep supporting staff at a hospital in the East Midlands said: “Just this month, one of our night shifts only had one registered nurse for 15 patients. We are stacked to the hilt and have hundreds of patients in our emergency department who can’t be moved through the system quickly because there just aren’t enough staff.” The RCN is calling for the upcoming NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan in England to bring about significant increases in nursing numbers so the health service can cope. Professor Ranger added: “The truth is patient safety incidents aren’t isolated and trusts are recording hundreds each month due to registered nurse shortages. When you have too few registered nurses, you get longer hospital stays, worse outcomes and more pressure on an already burned out and exhausted workforce. "The government has a great opportunity in the upcoming workforce plan to correct course. That means recognising that registered nurse shortages are the engine of patient harm in the NHS. Patients need investment in nursing, with a detailed plan to boot, that delivers the right number of nurses to meet demand now, and in the future.”